{"id":672309,"date":"2026-03-21T21:27:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T21:27:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/672309\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T21:27:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T21:27:16","slug":"nyc-airport-security-lines-swell-as-unpaid-federal-tsa-workers-call-out-sick-amid-ongoing-government-gridlock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/672309\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC airport security lines swell as unpaid federal TSA workers call out sick amid ongoing government gridlock"},"content":{"rendered":"

Travelers at New York City airports<\/a> have been running into long waits at stalled Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening lines, with fewer workers during peak travel times, while at other times moving through more quickly during lulls.<\/p>\n

The TSA said that amid a government funding gridlock \u2014 leaving TSA and Customs workers unpaid until their budget is passed \u2014 as many as 10% of workers called in sick, up from a typical 2%.<\/p>\n

Crowds at LaGuardia Airport<\/a> on Friday filled terminals, with waits of more than an hour, before subsiding. John F. Kennedy International Airport also saw long waits at certain peak travel times.<\/p>\n

\u201cDue to the federal funding lapse, security wait times may be longer during certain periods,\u201d airport websites warned. \u201cConditions can change quickly based on passenger volumes and staffing, so please allow significantly more time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Social media was filled with images of crowded airports as passengers waited to be processed, before lines lessened. An Instagram post set to Frank Sinatra\u2019s \u201cNew York, New York\u201d<\/a> showed hundreds of people milling about at LaGuardia waiting to go through security.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou missed the big crunch around 12:40,\u201d one airport worker said at LaGuardia during an afternoon lull.\n<\/p>\n

Many tourists monitored wait times at airport websites before deciding when to travel.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe noticed that earlier today, it said the lines were longer. That\u2019s why we changed our plans,\u201d said Bill Guidice, a Florida resident who arrived two and a half hours early for his flight home. \u201cWe\u2019ve been watching the lines at the airport. I\u2019ve noticed that the line fluctuates based on the time of day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"NYCBill Guidice, a Florida resident who arrived at LaGuardia Airport on Friday 2 1\/2 hours early for his flight home.Photo by Claude Solnik
\nFewer TSA workers doing the job without pay<\/p>\n

Formed in the wake of 9\/11, the TSA is the first line of defense at the nation\u2019s airports, responsible for screening passengers and their bags to guard against potential acts of terrorism.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Port Authority spokesperson Amanda Kwan said shutdowns \u201cof federal agencies do not directly impact the Port Authority\u2019s ability to operate our airport terminals,\u201d but do impact the \u201cfederal workforce our airports rely on every day, including TSA and CBP (Customs and Border Protection).\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the last several days we\u2019ve begun to see that translate into long wait times at security checkpoints during certain periods,\u201d Kwan said, \u201cdepending on passenger volumes, TSA shift changes and staff breaks, and the number of TSA staff who come to work for each shift.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ha Nguyen McNeill, a senior official performing the duties of TSA administrator, told Congress the agency screened 906.7 million passengers in 2025, along with 480 million checked bags and 2.1 billion carry-on bags \u2014 continuing to screen around 3 million passengers on peak days even during shutdowns.<\/p>\n

\u201cAround 95% of TSA employees are deemed essential and must continue working and protecting the traveling public during a shutdown, while not getting paid,\u201d McNeill said. About 61,000 workers operate across more than 430 commercial airports nationwide, though more are calling in sick amid delays in payment.<\/p>\n

\u201cHigher call-outs can result in longer wait times at checkpoints, leading to missed or delayed flights,\u201d McNeill added, \u201cwhich has a cascading negative impact on the American economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The agency hasn\u2019t fully recovered from a previous 43-day government shutdown, during which many workers faced late fees, eviction notices, and lost childcare arrangements. Since then, 1,110 Transportation Security Officers left the TSA in October and November 2025, up more than 25% from the same period in 2024, due to \u201cuncertainty, stress, missed paychecks, and financial hardships.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome are just now recovering from the financial impact of the 43-day shutdown,\u201d McNeill said, \u201cwhile many are still reeling from it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kwan said the Port Authority \u201cdeployed additional customer care staff into terminals to help manage queues, assist passengers, and keep people moving as efficiently as possible,\u201d and advised travelers to check airport websites and airline apps before heading out. She also pointed to tools like TSA PreCheck and TSA\u2019s touchless ID as ways to speed up screening.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are grateful to our federal employees who continue working during this challenging time,\u201d Kwan said. \u201cWe thank those who work each day without a paycheck, helping to keep our airports running.\u201d<\/p>\n

Political standoff contributes to TSA woes<\/p>\n

Many travelers expressed sympathy.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s just everybody\u2019s working for free right now,\u201d said Ron Pink, a tourist from North Dakota transferring from JFK to LaGuardia after a trip to Rome. \u201cThey\u2019re going to get paid in the future, but right now they still got to feed their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pink placed blame on both parties. \u201cI think the people that are making the voting decision should not be getting paid no matter what side of the aisle,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re holding America hostage.\u201d<\/p>\n

The political standoff has centered on competing funding priorities.\n<\/p>\n

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats have repeatedly introduced bills to fund the TSA separately from ICE, the agency responsible for a brutal immigration crackdown across America<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmerica will see the matter crystal clear,\u201d Schumer said. \u201cWhich senators want to open up TSA, pay TSA workers, and end the chaos at our airports, and which senators are going to block TSA funding yet again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Republicans have pushed to approve funding for ICE alongside TSA, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said, \u201cThis needs to be fixed.\u201d<\/p>\n

New York\u2019s junior Senator Kirsten Gillibrand called the repeated refusals to fund TSA separately \u201csheer dysfunction with unnecessary delays at our airports, placing added stress on travelers and undermining the very security systems that Americans rely on every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should be working together to support these workers and keep our country moving safely,\u201d she said, \u201cnot playing political games at their expense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the chaos has had at least one unintended consequence: a surge in TSA PreCheck enrollment.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cEver since the whole shutdown came in, especially with the high amount of videos on TikTok and other social media sites of those lines going out everywhere, people have been coming in to try to get TSA PreCheck in hopes of getting on the shorter of the two lines,\u201d said one employee at a kiosk at an office supply store. \u201cA lot of people have been coming in either making appointments or just kind of walking in and hoping for the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

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